I guess I will pull the starter out and check it this weekend. More pics to
come.  Thanks to all for the help.
Michael in San Antonio
91GL Weekender AT 2.1L 'Gringo'

On Mon, Mar 7, 2011 at 2:11 PM, David Beierl <dbeierl@attglobal.net> wrote:

> At 02:23 PM 3/7/2011, Michael Sullivan wrote:
>
>> I may have cranked it a little too long while diagnosing the bad battery.
>> That's all I can think of.  I am gonna take a pic of a new starter if I
>> cannot get the clearance inder the van of the one I have in there.  It is
>> only 3 mos old.  I can add some liquid rubber to that wire, but the first
>>
>
> I'm having trouble understanding exactly what I'm looking at in the photo.
>  Is it an unplugged female that just happens to be resting crosswise on the
> male terminal?  I see what looks like carbonized insulation to the right.
>  Is that recently melted solder on the base of the male terminal?
>
> In any case - how long in seconds is "a little too long?"
>
> My suggestions - using a wire direct to the alternator B+, measure the draw
> of the control terminal.  Report your results.  If the solenoid has shorted
> turns it will overload the ten-amp range on your ammeter, so be ready to
> disconnect instantly if the meter goes into overrange.  A ten-amp fuse in
> the line would be a good idea.
>
> In the mean time, replace the female terminal on the control wire.  Cut it
> back to clean wire and splice in a new piece if you have to.  I think the
> strong likelihood is that you had a bad crimp connection at the terminal,
> but whether or no, the terminal is ruined now.  Covering the mess with
> liquid vinyl won't be sufficient.
>
> Yours,
> David
>